Trulli blames Italy for drought

Jarno Trulli says Italy has only itself to blame for its lack of F1 drivers as there is "no system" in place to help youngsters...

Jarno Trulli says Italy has only itself to blame for its lack of F1 drivers as there is "no system" in place to help youngsters.

With Caterham's announcement on Friday that Trulli would be replaced with "immediate effect" by Russia's Vitaly Petrov, Ialy was left without a single driver on this year's grid.

It is the first time since 1969 that Italy has suffered a driver drought and Trulli reckons the country's lack of support for budding talent is responsible.

"Formula One without Italian drivers is a shame," the 37-year-old told Italy's Ansa news agency.

"I'm sorry but the problem is not mine: others must take responsibility for this impoverishment, for a situation that in fact did not start yesterday and that people have not woken up to.

"In Italy there's no system to help drivers reach a high level, so it's normal that we reach a situation like this. There are talents, but if nobody supports them there's no hope."

The Italian also shed some light on his departure, which came less than a week after he insisted his Caterham race-seat was "safe."

However, it now appears that Trulli was expecting that he would have to make way for Petrov's millions in sponsorship.

"Personally I'm not displeased: I was prepared for a possible divorce from Caterham, in the knowledge that the difficult economic situation would have pushed the team to find an adequately-supported driver.

"Small teams have certain needs and contracts are clear. I hope that, with Petrov's contribution, all the people who work there can have a more serene future."